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Carter slammed Marryatt yesterday for acting "as the 14th councillor" at the council table and asked the Government to replace him with a commissioner.

In a statement to The Press, Carter said it was time for the Government to appoint a commissioner willing to engage with the full council and residents in an open and transparent manner.

"Our city, now more than ever, needs an institution that is publicly serving rather than one that serves itself its people."

He said there were many excellent people at the council but they were being badly led by Parker and Marryatt.

"These staff and the ratepayers of Christchurch deserve better leadership."

He said the council's governance processes were flawed and Marryatt and Parker excluded councillors, restricted information and made decisions behind closed doors away from public scrutiny and accountability.

Carter cited last week's decision by Marryatt and Parker to spend $80,000 on a communications review, without councillors' knowledge and without a competitive tender process, as an example of the decisions being made without scrutiny.

"The chief executive acts politically as the 14th councillor, favouring some elected members rather than being accountable to all," he said.

Carter encouraged people to "turn up in large numbers" and be "vocal" at a protest organised for February 1 against Marryatt's $68,000 pay rise.

A council spokesman said Marryatt did not want to comment and referred all matters regarding his employment to Parker.

Parker said it was an understatement to say he was disappointed at Carter's actions.

"This is a very destructive game he is playing. It's very destructive for his fellow councillors who are under a lot of pressure. It's been an enormously challenging year for councillors."

A majority of councillors voted last year to award Marryatt a contract until the end of 2014, and at the time Carter made it clear he was against that happening, Parker said.